Baptist Memorial Health Care, Shelby County Government and cityCURRENT hosted a free community mental health and wellness expo and reception, followed by a conversation with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford on Thursday, Sept. 19 in Garrett Auditorium on Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis’ campus. The expo featured local experts and resources for mental health.
“It was my honor to join Baptist and cityCURRENT for this special event featuring Dr. Joy Harden Bradford,” said Miska Clay Bibbs, moderator at the mental health and wellness expo and chairwoman of the Shelby County Board of Commissioners. “Mental health is an important issue in Shelby County and one that we cannot ignore. The mental wellness, particularly of women, directly affects the well-being of families and the greater community and deserves our attention and support.”
Dr. Bradford was also the keynote speaker at the virtual cityCURRENT Signature Speaker Series on Friday, Sept. 20. She is a licensed psychologist, author and host of the podcast “Therapy for Black Girls.” She created the “Therapy for Black Girls” podcast and website in 2014 to make mental health topics more relevant and accessible to Black women and girls. Since then, she’s focused on the stigma around mental health in the African American community, normalizing therapy for Black women, the need for Black women to set boundaries and addressing the effects of the pandemic and racial violence on Black women.
“Baptist Memorial Health Care was pleased to welcome Dr. Joy Harden Bradford to Memphis,” said Keith Norman, vice president/chief government affairs and community relations officer for Baptist Memorial Health Care. “Her experience and influence in providing mental health, specifically for Black women, supports Baptist’s mission to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in health care.”
